Azernews.Az

By Trend

The youth union of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) issued a statement in connection with the pollution of the Okhchuchay River by Armenia, Trend reports.

The statement emphasized that as a result of the policy of aggression carried out by Armenia against Azerbaijan for almost 30 years, 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands were under occupation.

“Despite the adoption of four resolutions condemning and demanding an end to the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia by the UN, and the efforts of Azerbaijan, which for many years were aimed at a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Armenia continued its occupation policy,” the statement said. “The aggression was carried out not only on the battlefield, but also by carrying out environmental terror against Azerbaijan. During the occupation, serious damage had been caused to the rich natural resources of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region. Forests had been burnt and rivers polluted with toxic waste.”

“As a result of counter-offensive operation launched on September 27, 2020 in response to Armenian provocations, Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity and liberated the occupied territories within 44 days. After the liberation, large-scale construction work was started on these lands. Especially serious activities are being carried out to restore the destroyed flora and fauna,” the statement said.

"One of the rivers most heavily polluted by Armenia is the 83-kilometer Okhchuchay River flowing via the Zangilan district of Azerbaijan. A 47-kilometer section of the river passes through Armenia, which is the main place of pollution. The Zangezur copper-molybdenum plant operating here is the main cause of river pollution,” they further said. “However, the company [managing the enterprise] tries to avoid responsibility and doesn’t accept these claims. In previous times, the river was used for agricultural purposes, it was inhabited by rare species of fish, and now, due to the extreme toxicity of the water, living beings no longer inhabit it, and the river is called ‘dead’.”

“After the liberation of the Zangilan district [from Armenian occupation], experts conducted a study of the ecological situation in the region, especially, in connection with water pollution in Okhchuchay,” the statement pointed out. “The results of analyzes of water samples obtained from January to March 2021 show that the water contains a large amount of heavy metals: copper, molybdenum, manganese, iron, zinc and chromium. Such pollution not only seriously damages flora and fauna, but also poses a danger to human life and health.”

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